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en-usCopyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/22/terraria-tops-1-3-million-mobile-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/22/terraria-tops-1-3-million-mobile-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/22/terraria-tops-1-3-million-mobile-downloads/#commentsTerraria, Re-Logic's 2D sandbox adventure game, surpassed a combined 1.3 million full-game downloads on iOS and Android. The game first arrived on iOS in August 2013 and on Android in September. Additionally, publisher 505 Games announced that Terraria recently achieved one million downloads in total across Xbox 360, PS3 and PS Vita, the latter of which arrived in December.

Andrew Spinks, the creator of Terraria, first divulged plans for the game's sequel in October, but was careful to note that it wasn't in development at the time. Spinks later said he'd like to code Terraria 2 in a more portable language so he can bring the game to multiple platforms closer to its PC launch, though Nintendo's 3DS is likely not in the cards for the sequel.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>505-Gamesandrew-spinksandroidiosipadiphonemicrosoftmilestonemillionmobileplaystationplaystation-vitaps3RE-LOGICsalesterrariavitaxboxSat, 22 Mar 2014 11:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/27/river-city-ransom-sequel-announced-crowdfunding-to-begin-this-s/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/27/river-city-ransom-sequel-announced-crowdfunding-to-begin-this-s/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/27/river-city-ransom-sequel-announced-crowdfunding-to-begin-this-s/#commentsIndie development house Combit Studios has announced that it will be partnering with River City Ransom EX developer Million to create "an official, worldwide follow-up to River City Ransom." The game will be available for Windows in August of 2014, according to Combit's official blog.

Further information will be released at a later date, leading up to an eventual crowd-funding drive scheduled for sometime this summer. In the meantime, an official placeholder website will gladly add your email address to its mailing list.

Combit Studios' project appears to be completely unrelated to that other official sequel to River City Ransom that was announced back in 2011. Developed by Miracle Kidz and originally slated to launch on WiiWare sometime last year, River City Ransom 2 was shelved in favor of original projects.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>announcementCombit-StudiosindieMillionpcrelease-windowRiver-City-Ranomriver-city-ransom-exsequelSat, 27 Apr 2013 19:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/11/richard-garriotts-portalarium-secures-7-million-funding-for-io/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/11/richard-garriotts-portalarium-secures-7-million-funding-for-io/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/11/richard-garriotts-portalarium-secures-7-million-funding-for-io/#commentsRichard "Lord British" Garriott is in the middle of a new gaming venture called Portalarium (it's working on a social game for Facebook and iOS called Ultimate Collection: Garage Sale), and he's just been able to convince a round of venture capitalists to support his projects, to the tune of roughly $7 million.

The money will also be used to build a social RPG tentatively titled "New Britannia," which may have ties to the Ultima tradition, as well as new school features like asychronous gameplay and social profiles.

Portalarium was announced to be one of the launch companies in Zynga's upcoming partner program, so Garriott and crew are definitely laying the foundations to launch some large and well-supported titles. Ultimate Collection is supposed to be available to play sometime later on this year.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidasynchronousfundingiosipadiphonemillionmobilepcrichard-garriottrpgsocialvcventure-capitalWed, 11 Jul 2012 04:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/arc-system-works-planning-new-kunio-game-for-3ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/arc-system-works-planning-new-kunio-game-for-3ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/arc-system-works-planning-new-kunio-game-for-3ds/#comments
Arc System Works and developer Million, a group of former Technos employees, have resurrected the Kunio series (which we know best from River City Ransom) in recent years with DS-based games like Super Dodge Ball Brawlers,River City Soccer Hooligans, and River City Sports Challenge. Now, the pair appear to be returning to the origin of the series, with a 3DS game called Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun (Hot Blooded Tough Guy Kunio-kun).

That same title was used for the first game in the series, the absolutely terrible brawler we know asRenegade. We're hoping Arc is using that title to refer to the overarching series, and not actually returning to the wooden Renegade gameplay style. Or maybe making the same kind of game ... except not awful.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsarc-system-worksdskuniomillionnekketsu-kouha-kunio-kunnintendoThu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/wade-mcgilberry-luckiest-and-richest-mlb-2k10-player-ever/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/wade-mcgilberry-luckiest-and-richest-mlb-2k10-player-ever/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/wade-mcgilberry-luckiest-and-richest-mlb-2k10-player-ever/#comments
When 24-year-old Wade McGilberry of Semmes, Alabama was less than 24 years old, his friends and loved ones probably gave him a hard time about his penchant for virtual baseball. "Wade," they would say, "why don't you go play real baseball? Heck, with a name like 'Wade McGilberry,' you're already well on your way to the MLB Hall of Fame." Little do they know, Wade wasn't just wasting his time. He was training.

On the very first day of the MLB 2K10Perfect Game Competition, McGilberry managed to take down 27 in-game hitters without letting one of them place their cleated toe upon first base. For this accomplishment, McGilberry won the competition and its $1,000,000 prize, reaffirming his decision to skip all of his high school formal dances to put a few more hours into Ken Griffey, Jr.'s Slugfest. A wise decision indeed, sir.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>baseballcontestMicrosoftmillionmlbmlb-2k10Nintendoperfect-gamepitchingsportsWiiXbox-360Wed, 05 May 2010 11:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/13/heavy-rain-sells-one-million-worldwide/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/13/heavy-rain-sells-one-million-worldwide/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/13/heavy-rain-sells-one-million-worldwide/#comments
No one was exactly sure if Sony's gamble with Heavy Rain would pay off. With no aliens, no stealth kills, and no epic boss battles, the game strayed so far from the mainstream norm that some wondered if it could possibly succeed. Considering the incredible technical effort Heavy Rain represented, it's clear that this was also an expensive experiment for both Sony and Quantic Dream to take on.

After seven weeks of release, Heavy Rain has managed to sell through a million units worldwide, according to an announcement on the PlayStation.Blog. No specifics are offered, but we'll deduce that Europe represents the largest piece of the sales pie; Heavy Rain was completely sold out in that part of the world.

It's unclear if a million units sold is enough for Quantic Dream and Sony to break even on Heavy Rain's lengthy development. Undoubtedly, the game will continue selling through the year, which has us hopeful that the industry will be unafraid to invest in another game like it in the future.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>heavy-rainInteractive-Dramamillionplatinumquantic-dreamsalesSCESCEASonySony-Computer-EntertainmentSony-Computer-Entertainment-AmericaTue, 13 Apr 2010 11:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/04/free-vidzone-app-passes-one-million-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/04/free-vidzone-app-passes-one-million-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/04/free-vidzone-app-passes-one-million-downloads/#comments
Europe's exclusive music video service just surpassed one million downloads. VidZone is SCEE's music video service that streams music videos -- new and old -- for free on PS3 and PSP. In addition to an archive of classics, VidZone most recently debuted U2's latest single, "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight," exclusively through the service.

It's no wonder that VidZone has been popular amongst European PS3 owners considering its low cost of entry (free). The European PlayStation.Blog announced earlier today that "VidZone has had over 1 million downloads and 100 million video streams on PS3."

We're certainly jealous of our friends across the Atlantic that can access the service. However, in spite of its success, it doesn't look like there are any plans (yet) to bring this service to the US. To see the top 10 videos on VidZone, click past the break.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>downloadeuropemillionmusic-videosceevidzoneTue, 04 Aug 2009 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/07/nintendo-consoles-had-62-new-million-selling-titles-in-past-fisc/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/07/nintendo-consoles-had-62-new-million-selling-titles-in-past-fisc/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/07/nintendo-consoles-had-62-new-million-selling-titles-in-past-fisc/#comments
A recent Nintendo financial statement/press release was chock full of goodies for those patient enough to dig through all the Bob-ombast. First was a mighty impressive sales figure -- over the past fiscal year, 62 games (first and third-party) which have been released on the Wii and DS reached one million copies sold life-to-date. This brings the total number of million-sellers on Nintendo's current batch of systems to 145. That's a large enough number, even when you don't multiply it by one million.

Other interesting tidbits came in the release's solemn reflection over the past fiscal year, where Nintendo claims credit for the "Gaming Population Expansion." Also, the company lays out its plans for the future, explaining that it will continue "capitalizing on being the only hardware platform producer with powerful in-house software development teams." Oh, snap! Massive flame war imminent! Joystiq Thermo-Shield, engage!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSfinancial-reportfiscal-yearlife-to-datemillionnintendosalesWiiThu, 07 May 2009 11:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/killzone-2-sells-more-than-one-million-copies-worldwide/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/killzone-2-sells-more-than-one-million-copies-worldwide/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/killzone-2-sells-more-than-one-million-copies-worldwide/#comments
There's only one thing internet fanboys love debating as much as Killzone 2's graphical capabilities ("It's too brown!" "It's more real than real life!") -- and that's Killzone 2's sales numbers. SCEA has just announced that its flagship "only on PlayStation" game has sold over one million copies worldwide, making it "the biggest initial success at retail of any first-party PS3 title to date."

It's taken Killzone 2 nearly seven weeks to reach the million milestone, and how that should be celebrated will largely depend on your loyalties. In comparison, Super Smash Bros. Brawl took a mere week to reach that magic number; Gears of War 2 managed to sell twice that much in its first week. Regardless, a million copies is nothing to scoff at -- we're certain these sales provided a nice injection of cash into the Sony war chest.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>killzonekillzone-2millionsalessonyThu, 16 Apr 2009 18:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/22/kunios-super-collection-of-hot-blooded-big-athletic-meet-screen/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/22/kunios-super-collection-of-hot-blooded-big-athletic-meet-screen/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/22/kunios-super-collection-of-hot-blooded-big-athletic-meet-screen/#commentsWould you like to know what the sports are in the new multi-event Kunio sports game? Of course you would! We're going to pretend that the cool reception that met Super Dodgeball Brawlers didn't happen, and the world is exhibiting the correct and expected frothing demand for a new Kunio sports game from Million.

Three of the new sports look like a return to the events found in the first Famicom multievent game, Nekketsu Koushin Kyoku: Soreyuke Dai Undoukai: the obstacle course, in a room full of traps; the free-roaming triathlon that takes the kids through town, climbing buildings and crossing rivers; and, of course, the fighting tournament. New to the series is some kind of treasure-hunting game, in which players compete to hoard the most random junk. New screens of all of the games, highlighting the pretty unfortunate 3D, can be found at Famitsu.

See, the game has sold 967,675 copies in its first two days on Japanese store shelves, which is close to a million, which means that, if Pokémon Platinum were an American music album, it would almost be a platinum record. Once we realized that, the headline just wrote itself. As did this explanatory paragraph ...

Look, Pokémon games are still popular in Japan, all right? That's all we're trying to say here! Sheesh! We need a drink.

It seems like only a few days ago when publisher Aksys Games announced that it would be localizing Super Dodgeball Brawlers and Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles (Tantei Jinguji Saburo), much to our delight. Though both titles have been met with mixedreviews, we can't help but be thankful that someone took the risk to bring over these titles that likely would have stayed in Japan otherwise.

North American publisher Aksys has accompanied Super Dodgeball Brawlers' stateside release this week with an image bonanza of (Japanese) screenshots, character art, and other promotional assets, all of which we've conveniently collected for you in the gallery below.

Apparently, lots of people are having trouble finding the game in stores, so here's an opportunity for you to flip past the screenshots quickly to approximate an animated match, imagining that you're really playing the game. We had no problem finding Super Dodgeball Brawlers ourselves, as most of the GameStops around our area kept two copies on their shelves.

In related news, Fujitsu also plans to ship Super Dodgeball Brawlers to stores in Korea next week and has released a huge, 80-image-strong batch of Korean-translated screens, which, for some reason, includes shots from the staff credits and celebration scene that appears after a completed tournament. Perhaps they were accidentally released in Fujitsu's rush to get the word out -- the word(s) being "Kunio in Korea!"

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-workscharacter-artdodgeballfujitsukoreakuniologomillionsuper-dodgeball-brawlersThu, 29 May 2008 12:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/super-dodge-ball-gets-super-remix/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/super-dodge-ball-gets-super-remix/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/super-dodge-ball-gets-super-remix/#commentsBefore we go into fits induced by the awesome fact that Super Dodgeball Brawlers is releasing in a mere two weeks, we figured that the least we could do is spread some love for an aspect of the original game that's often ignored -- its music.

Of course, the best thing to do with great video game music is remix it, and The Bad Dudes have done just that. Taking Kazuo Sawa's score from the original Super Dodge Ball (NES) and arranging it with some ethnic flavor (based on the different teams' countries of origin) makes for a great combination. Don't just take out word for it, though -- give it a listen or download the zip file over at No Balls, No Glory.

Aksys also plans to use this EP to promote the upcoming DS remake, which is set to hit American stores on May 27th.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysdodgeballmillionmusicno-balls-no-gloryremixsoundtracksuper-dodge-ballsuper-dodgeball-brawlersthe-bad-dudesWed, 14 May 2008 18:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/super-dodgeball-brawlers-sped-up-for-american-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/super-dodgeball-brawlers-sped-up-for-american-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/super-dodgeball-brawlers-sped-up-for-american-release/#commentsThe only complaint we've heard about the Japanese version of Super Dodgeball Brawlers is that it is very slow compared to previous games, though you gain the ability to speed your characters up over time. Aksys Games, publisher of the American version, apparently paid attention to this criticism: according to IGN, who totally got to play the game already, Brawlers has been sped up, and this timing has had a positive effect on their ability to catch the ball.

The items have also been rebalanced since the Japanese version, which now makes us glad we've waited. Just like Bangai-O Spirits, which will come with many new Treasure-created stages not found in the Japanese release, the American version will be the definitive Super Dodgeball Brawlers.

We doubt one million people have even been exposed to Boll's unique brand of sensory torment -- but still, this remains your best chance to fulfill any vendettas you may hold against the pugnacious producer. With enough door-to-door campaigning and MySpace chain letters, this lofty goal may be attainable. If not, we can always hold out hope for the merciful release of bankruptcy.

By a happy coincidence, both titles recently released within days of one another in Japan, so the next question is obvious: as the U.S. still has a couple of months to wait for these gems, did you buckle under the pressure and import either? If so, we'll be happy to place our extreme envy to one side for the time being, and listen to your impressions! We're nice like that, see.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-worksbangai-o-spiritsd3dodgeballdsdespkuniomillionshootersuper-dodgeball-braw...treasureThu, 27 Mar 2008 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/super-dodgeball-brawlers-plays-dirty/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/super-dodgeball-brawlers-plays-dirty/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/super-dodgeball-brawlers-plays-dirty/#commentsHands-on impressions of Super Dodgeball Brawlers have been coming in since the game's release in Japan earlier this week, and while previews indicate that the game's "pacing" seems slow in comparison to the NES original, we're happy to hear that this design decision is in favor of a much deeper experience with stat-tweaking and buyable upgrades. Even without an online component, Brawlers already sounds like a title with a lot of replayability!

All the special throws and jumping skills won't save you, however, when your opponent can pick up and toss a bomb at you, literally (0:50). As you can see in these two in-game videos -- complete with face-smashing sound effects -- a mess of potential weapons litter the arena, enticing you to abandon the gym pastime's dated rules. According to 1UP's preview, the Canadian team, in particular, has no problem relying on under-the-belt strategies rather than its own abilities.

Why bother waiting to get beaned when you can just run across the chalked line and mollywhop whoever has the dodgeball? Head past the post break for another foul-play-filled Super Dodgeball Brawlers clip.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-worksdodgeballkuniomillionsuper-dodgeball-braw...Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/videos-from-that-other-brawl/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/videos-from-that-other-brawl/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/videos-from-that-other-brawl/#commentsThough Aksys published these Super Dodgeball Brawlers clips to keep the game fresh in our minds, the videos are also a reminder of the potential that playgrounds have to serve as battle arenas for our nation's youth. Imagine a utopia in which children of all creeds and races, rich or poor, can come together during recess and pummel each other with dodgeballs, crude weapons, and their own two fists. It is a dream we have worked our entire lives to realize.

The Brawl Mode in Super Dodgeball Brawlers is a window to that dream, allowing up to eight kids to battle it out in a no-holds-barred, free-for-all game of Murder Ball. Adolescents are encouraged to swing lead pipes at each other, throw exploding rocks, and transform the dodgeball into a tire-hugging panda whilst a small yapper-type dog cheers them on. Wipe that proud tear from your eye and step past the break for another clip of elementary school children locked in gladiatorial combat.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-worksdodgeballkuniomillionremakesuper-dodgeball-brawlersMon, 03 Mar 2008 10:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/brawl-tops-one-million-sales-has-already-passed-galaxy/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/brawl-tops-one-million-sales-has-already-passed-galaxy/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/brawl-tops-one-million-sales-has-already-passed-galaxy/#commentsSuper Smash Bros. Brawl unleashed the mother of all Final Smashes on the Japanese charts last week by selling 820,000 copies in four days. Now, Famitsu publisher Enterbrain says Nintendo's scrapper (released eleven days ago) has topped the one million sales mark, and passed another Wii flagship title in the process: Super Mario Galaxy (released almost three and a half months ago). That's crazy.

To be fair to Galaxy, it's far from the only game to be left spluttering in Brawl's dust. Next-gen notes that Wii Fit took seven weeks to pass a million sales, that Wii Sports passed the landmark after eleven weeks, and that Wii Play and Mario Party 8 are the only other Wii titles to top a million units in Japan.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterbrainfightingjapanmario-party-8millionsmash-bros-brawlssbbsuper-mario-galaxywii-fitwii-playwii-sportsTue, 12 Feb 2008 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/guard-your-grill-super-dodgeball-brawlers-trailer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/guard-your-grill-super-dodgeball-brawlers-trailer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/guard-your-grill-super-dodgeball-brawlers-trailer/#commentsWe estimate that about 95% of the people who're hyped about Super Dodgeball Brawlers's release are nostalgic fans of the original NES game, scarred veterans of the flickering playground. Publisher Arc System Works must have come to the same conclusion, as its latest promotional trailer introduces the return of the Kunio dodgeball series with "archival footage" of the 1988 title, positioning Brawlers as a modernized remake. Smart move!

This minute-and-a-half-long video has a lot more excitement than the mini-clips we've featured the past two months -- it has florid lines of text flying around, chaotic scenes grabbed from the 8-player free-for-all battle mode, and some dude lifting a vending machine over his head. Expect Super Dodgeball Brawlers to hit Japan this March 19th (the February 21st date advertised in the trailer is from before the game was delayed).

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-worksdodgeballkuniomillionremakesuper-dodgeball-brawlerstrailerTue, 12 Feb 2008 11:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/01/super-dodgeball-boxarts/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/01/super-dodgeball-boxarts/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/01/super-dodgeball-boxarts/#comments
According to Amazon, Super Dodgeball Brawlers now has a release date: May 27th. That's pretty far away, but okay! We don't mind having justDodgeball to play during what is usually a lull in game releases. That's totally fine. Also, take a look at that boxart! It uses the same artwork as the Japanese boxart (which is welcome), with the characters all rearranged and the background replaced with some purple lightning or something.

Most interesting to us is the little "Kunio Series" label on the box. Since there aren't that many Kunio fans who wouldn't already know about this game, we totally take that to mean that Aksys is looking forward to continuing the series. Or they're just making us happy.

In yesterday's investor call, Electronic Arts confirmed that sales of Crysis have gone platinum, meaning that over 1 million units had been sold since its launch. That figure marks a drastic improvement over earlier indications that consumer interest in the game was, well, in crisis.

At this month's GDC, developer CryTek will be showing off a console version of CryEngine 2, although a console version of Crysis itself has not been announced. Of course, EA could pull a "surprise" announcement -- dun dun dun!

You've seen the news. Our children are rapidly falling under the sway of insidious video games, spending hours upon hours watching and even taking part in the most brutal acts of violence imaginable. Games like Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt 2 are designed with nothing in mind but a devious plot to corrupt our children and disrupt our society. Not only that, but many of these games expose our youth to graphic sexuality. Case in point: Mass Effect, which is a pornographic game targeted at preschoolers and (reportedly) given away with boxes of cereal.

The latest threat to our children's sensitive minds comes from Super Dodgeball Brawlers, a game of such stark brutality that it should be banned. And yet, it's going to be released on the Nintendo DS, a game system for children. This shocking violence simulator allows children to play a game called "dodge ball," in which characters break up into teams and attempt to murder each other with thrown projectiles. Disgustingly, this "dodge ball" is presented as a sport, suggesting that it's an acceptable activity for children to engage in on the schoolyard or in the park. Publisher Aksys Games should be held accountable when this deadly game begins claiming young lives.

It's bad enough that children will be taught to use harmless playground balls as weapons, but Super Dodgeball Brawlers takes the corruption a step farther. It satisfies murderous fantasies by giving the players super powers, allowing them to electrify the ball, multiply it in the air or throw it at super-speed. These attacks will even turn our harmless pizzas, cacti, panda bears, and Eiffel Towers into brutal weapons. Kids will even be able to drop the pretenses of sportsmanship and batter each other directly.

Worst yet, Super Dodgeball Brawlers will allow children to connect their DS units wirelessly and perform the simulated violence in groups of eight. Even if you can keep this out of your own home, your children are in imminent danger of having the offending software forced onto their DSes.

We must put a stop to this! If you don't complain to your congressman and do your best to block sale of this disgusting game, it will be on you when children, too addled by flashing lights and cartoons to understand the difference between fantasy and reality, begin acting out this "dodge ball" with their friends.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>08blipsaksysarc-system-worksdodgeballkuniomillionMon, 28 Jan 2008 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/21/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-boot-country/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/21/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-boot-country/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/21/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-boot-country/#commentsIf you're having trouble making out what it is exactly that Lorenzo is tossing across the field, it's a giant pizza, heavy on the green peppers. Aksys' most recent video update for Super Dodgeball Brawlers showcases the special throws of Team Italy, a smooth bunch that insists on walking into every match wearing leather jackets, open arms and thumbs up, introducing themselves with an "Aaay!"

IGN also has a two-minute movie worth checking out, in which you can see the two teams actually trading shots with each other. We need more of this! As with the mini-clips, the video is soundless, but you'll get to see our paisanos throwing a vending machine at people's heads. Team Italy's celebratory pirouettes are worth watching, too!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-worksdodgeballitalymillionsuper-dodgeball-brawlerstechnosMon, 21 Jan 2008 14:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-ich-bin-ein-dodgeballer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-ich-bin-ein-dodgeballer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-ich-bin-ein-dodgeballer/#commentsAksys' latest Super Dodgeball Brawlers videos take us to Germany, the land of Deutsches. Boasting a six-man squad of supermen, Team Germany has its own array of power throws to show off.

Those of you who've been following Aksys' updates should already know what to expect from this new set -- clips without sound or any lasting entertaining value. Also, while each of the eight special attacks shown varies in its style of dodgeball delivery, the result is always the same -- dudes getting beaned in the face. Not very exciting, but it's Super Dodgeball Brawlers!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-worksdodgeballgermanykuniomillionsuper-dodgeball-brawlerstechnosTue, 15 Jan 2008 13:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-cor-blimey-guvna/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-cor-blimey-guvna/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-cor-blimey-guvna/#commentsLike the blinking dodgeball traveling two miles per hour in this short clip, Super Dodgeball Brawlers' release this coming spring continues its slow approach. Before you know it, the game will crash right into your face, leaving an imprint of your surprised expression on its box before sending you flying out of the arena.

Aksys has eight new videos in its latest Super Dodgeball Brawlers update, this time demonstrating the "super throws" from the "super tossers" of Team England. Once again, the clips are soundless and, in our opinion, not too exciting, but we'll take what we can get; we're just happy that the game is being localized at all!

What better way to ring in the new year than with Super Dodgeball Brawlers? Japanese publisher Arc System Works has set up an official site for the Kunio-kun game for its release in Japan this February 21st, providing the requisite wallpapers and tiny screenshots.

Other than that, you won't find much media that we haven't already foisted upon you, but there are some interesting remarks about its "Create a Dream Team" mode and using punch or kick attacks during a regular match. The site also mentions the burst gauge, a new feature with which your team can charge up and execute special moves capable of changing the tide of the game!

Aksys Games has put out another round of Super Dodgeball Brawlers videos, this time showcasing the special throws available with Team USA's roster (last week's clips were from the Nekketsu Highschool team). Once again, the movies are extremely short and without sound, but you still get to see some dudes get their blocks knocked off, thrown off the screen and across town from the force of a connected power shot.

Super Dodgeball Brawlers is scheduled to smack North America in the back of its head this Spring 2008 (without online support, unfortunately). The next set of videos Aksys plans to release will feature Team England and arrive on January 4th. Head past the break for the rest of this week's seconds-long clips -- you might want to take your glasses off first, though.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-worksdodgeballkuniomillionsuper-dodgeball-brawlerstechnosSat, 22 Dec 2007 13:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/14/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-lightning-bolt-lightning-bolt/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/14/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-lightning-bolt-lightning-bolt/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/14/super-dodgeball-mini-clips-lightning-bolt-lightning-bolt/#commentsWe ran here with a quickness unforeseen to deliver these Super Dodgeball Brawlers videos to you, jumping over the chalked line and spiking these clips with all our might right into your face. Sure, they're each only a few seconds long, demonstrating some of the special shots in place of an actual match, but beggars can't be choosers, and, like TLC, we ain't too proud to beg, especially when it's for our first look at one of 2008's most anticipated games in motion.

If you haven't marked it on your calendar yet, Aksys Games plans to bring the Kunio-kun title to the states next spring, so go ahead and draw smiley faces across that entire season. Guard your grill and zig-zag past the post break for seven more of these short, soundless videos from Super Dodgeball Brawlers.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysarc-system-worksdodgeballkuniomillionFri, 14 Dec 2007 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/12/super-dodgeball-brawlers-the-first-american-kunio-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/12/super-dodgeball-brawlers-the-first-american-kunio-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/12/super-dodgeball-brawlers-the-first-american-kunio-game/#commentsWhen Siliconera's Spencer Yip interviewed Aksys's Gail Salamanca about Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles, he also submitted a battery of questions about Super Dodgeball Brawlers, many of which were submitted by readers. One reader asked if Aksys would keep the Kunio series characters for the game, rather than making them more generic and American. Salamanca responded with "Yes, we will be keeping the Kunio names for the US version."

This may only be significant to us and to the person asking the question (who was, we admit, also us), but that means that Super Dodgeball Brawlers will be the first Kunio game in the U.S. Renegade, River City Ransom, Crash 'n the Boys Street Challenge, Super Spike V'Ball, Nintendo World Cup, and every previous version of Super Dodge Ball were all part of the Kunio-kun series from Technos, starring two rude high-school kids named Kunio and Riki. And without exception, the original characters were excised from the localization.

Another reader asked if more Kunio games were upcoming, and Salamanca replied "We hope so." Not much news there, but if Aksys wants to continue publishing upcoming Kunio games, we're happy to hear it. What a great day for Technos nerds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksyskuniomillionsuper-dodge-ballsuperdodgeballtechnosWed, 12 Dec 2007 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/25/super-dodge-ball-ds-uses-nes-style-control-scheme/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/25/super-dodge-ball-ds-uses-nes-style-control-scheme/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/25/super-dodge-ball-ds-uses-nes-style-control-scheme/#comments
Spencer Yip played a little bit of Cho Nekketsu Koukou Kunio-Kun Dodge Ball Buwhile waiting for a meeting with publisher Arc System Works in which they discussed things that are infinitely less important than Cho Nekketsu Koukou Kunio-Kun Dodge Ball Bu. For him, it was a few casual minutes of gaming to write up whenever he had time; for us, it would have been a screaming, all-caps, exclamation-point-peppered impressions post, complete with hyperbole about how we were ready to die or whatever. We like Super Dodge Ball is what we're saying. We've liked it since it was a flickery mess on the NES.

Which is why we're just fine with the major revelation in his impressions post-- that the game uses the "classic" two-button control scheme found in the NES version. A passes, B throws and catches, and the two together jump. Most importantly, it sounds like super throws are activated in the correct run-then-throw-at-the-right-moment method, rather than some kind of touch screen nonsense. Not that we have anything against the touch screen-- we just like our Dodge Ball as is. It turns out that the bottom screen just displays every player's special attack arsenal. Which is a great feature!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arc-system-worksarcsystemworksdodgeballmillionTue, 25 Sep 2007 16:50:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/03/super-everything-but-dodgeball-ds-screenshots/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/03/super-everything-but-dodgeball-ds-screenshots/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/03/super-everything-but-dodgeball-ds-screenshots/#commentsEven without the Cold War propaganda, we're still crazy excited about Super Dodgeball DS, setting our budgets, vacation time, and gods of worship around its release. These latest screenshots from the Kunio-themed sports title have us licking our lips, partly out of lust, partly due to chapped lips.

If you thought Super Dodgeball DS's screwiness peaked with its "Panda Shoot" power shot, just look at the screenshot above. One player has crossed the line separating the two teams, a barrel hoisted over his head. His teammate below, encased in ice, is being punched back to the other side of the arena. One of their opponents has curled up into a morph ball while another lies on the ground, unconscious or maybe dead. Complicating matters, the Snowman spectators have even begun to wander into the match. The dodgeball sits to the side, completely forgotten.

With Arc System Works and Milliom [sic] laboring together on a return for the Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club, we finally have an excuse to bring out our favorite ads for the Super Dodgeball series. Put on your gym clothes, tighten your shoelaces, and run past the break to see what we've been waiting to hit you with.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcsystemworkscommercialdodgeballkuniomillionnespromotionalconsiderationsuperdodgeballtechnosSun, 02 Sep 2007 16:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/28/its-time-to-look-at-super-dodge-ball-ds-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/28/its-time-to-look-at-super-dodge-ball-ds-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/28/its-time-to-look-at-super-dodge-ball-ds-again/#comments
We had almost settled down a little from the last time we saw screens of Super Dodge Ball DS. Then Jeux-France threw these screens directly into our faces, and our blood is boiling hot once again. The very idea that it will be possible to play a new Super Dodge Ball game in the near future trumps just about all gaming news. Uh, that is, except for all the other great gaming news on DS Fanboy. That's all totally worthwhile.

Today's Dodge Ball update comes in the form of a page from Nintendo Dream magazine, with two precious new screens included. We love that in one of the screens, the game has broken down into an 8-person brawl with some dodge ball happening on the side. Check after the break for the full scan!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dodgeballkuniomillionsportsTue, 28 Aug 2007 13:10:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/06/dodge-ball-ds-adds-dodge-fist-dodge-kick-and-dodge-panda/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/06/dodge-ball-ds-adds-dodge-fist-dodge-kick-and-dodge-panda/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/06/dodge-ball-ds-adds-dodge-fist-dodge-kick-and-dodge-panda/#commentsMillion, the developer of Super Dodge Ball Advance and River City Ransom EX, is made up of former Technos employees, including founder Kunio Taki. It's as close to real Technos as anyone can get. That's why it's so great to see their name (misspelled as "Milliom" though it may be) in the copyright information on the Famitsu story about Cho Nekketsu Koukou Dodge Ball.

We're happy to see a return to Kunio and gang after the bizarre character designs in Super Dodge Ball Advance. We're also happy to see insane new power shots, like the "Panda Shoot" seen here, as well as "Cactus Shoot." We're slightly troubled by what appears to be a touch-screen menu for power shot activation.

The other big news in this iteration of Dodge Ball is the integration of River City Ransom-style fighting. In addition to beaning each other in the face, you can now just kick some dudes.

Oh, Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club, how we've missed you! If there's one thing that the Nintendo DS has been missing, it's more Kunio-kun. The latest issue of Famitsu reveals that the hot-blooded gang will be returning with another entry to the beloved Super Dodge Ball series, bouncing the game off the back of our heads and onto the DS.

Though online support hasn't been revealed -- and we don't expect it, however perfect the idea might be -- developer Arc System Works will include an eight-player free-for-all battle mode, via local download-play. We don't even know eight people! According to initial translations, Cho Nekketukoukou Kuniokun Dodge Ball DS will also feature customization options for players and even teams.

We can only hope that a publisher will eventually pick up this title for North America, much like Atlus did with River City Ransom Ex and Super Dodge Ball Advance, both for the GBA. Guard your eyeglasses and scurry past the post break for the magazine scans of this gym class favorite.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcsystemworksatlusdodgeballkuniomillionsuperdodgeballtechnosWed, 01 Aug 2007 11:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/05/virtually-overlooked-river-city-ransom-ex/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/05/virtually-overlooked-river-city-ransom-ex/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/05/virtually-overlooked-river-city-ransom-ex/#commentsWelcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.

Talking about the execrable Renegade last week put us in a Technos kind of mood. It's not really fair to Technos or to you to focus only on their one terrible NES game. Let's cleanse our palates together with a good Kunio game.

River City Ransom EX is a Game Boy Advance remake of the NES River City Ransom, which is significantly improved in almost every respect-- except boxart, unfortunately.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atluscitykuniomillionnintendonintendo wiiNintendoWiiransomriverriver city ransomriver city ransom exRiverCityRansomRiverCityRansomExtechnosvowiiThu, 05 Jul 2007 18:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/14/wii-hits-an-unofficial-eight-million-sold/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/14/wii-hits-an-unofficial-eight-million-sold/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/14/wii-hits-an-unofficial-eight-million-sold/#commentsStart your engines, fanboys. According to vgchartz.com, which is where we go to hang out when we're bored, the Wii just yesterday surpassed eight million units sold since its November 19th launch in North America. That's fast. That's really fast. Check out this graph with the option "align launches" enabled; it's staggering.

So, here we go. By the end of year, Nintendo Wii sales will most likely have surpassed the Xbox 360's one-year head start to become the current generation leader, and heck, we might just "win" this thing. Who'd have thought such a turnaround was possible? And why the hell didn't we buy NTDOY stock? Dammit.

Bask in the glory, guys. Most likely, one of those eight million is yours.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chartseightleadlivemillionnumbersplaystationsalestenxboxThu, 14 Jun 2007 09:50:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/08/ps3-sales-break-million-milestone-in-pal-territory/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/08/ps3-sales-break-million-milestone-in-pal-territory/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/08/ps3-sales-break-million-milestone-in-pal-territory/#commentsDavid Reeves, president of SCEE, spoke to MCV. about the console's surprising success. Since its launch in March, the console has sold through more than a million units in the European territories. "Early last week we went through the one million mark on PS3. And we did that in nine and a half weeks," he confirmed. He added, "That was faster than both PS2 and PSOne."

Software sales have been fairly robust, with two million copies of first-party software sold in the region. Although the lineup since launch has been admittedly slim, things will definitely be picking up, with some new products to be unveiled soon: "Our big bangs will be arriving around September and October; Phil [Harrison] will be announcing these at a later date, but they will probably be in the arena of social gaming as well as more traditional games."